Retainer and neck guard for full coverage safety helmet

ABSTRACT

A SAFETY HELMET FORMED OF A HARD, OUTER SHELL SHAPED TO COVER THE WEARER&#39;&#39;S HEAD, INCLUDING THE SIDES AND EAR PORTIONS OF THE HEAD, WITH THE REAR OF THE SHELL BEING CUT AWAY TO FORM AN INVERTED U-SHAPED OPENING EXPOSING THE REAR OF THE WEARER&#39;&#39;S NECK DOWN FROM ABOUT THE BASE OF THE SKULL, AND A THICK, SOFT, RESILIENTLY STRETCHABLE AND COMPRESSIBLE PAD STRETCHED ACROSS THE COVERING THE UPPER HALF OF SAID OPENING AND SECURED TO THE SHELL EDGE ADJACENT SAID OPENING TO FORM A RETAINER FOR LOCKING THE HELMET AGAINST MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE HEAD, AS WELL AS A NECK GUARD.   D R A W I N G

D. s. RANEY 3,609,763

RETAINER AND NECK GUARD FOR FULL COVERAGE SAFETY HELMET Oct. 5,1971

Filed June 5. 19 0 H M a a 0M DENNIS ATTORNEYS United States Patent Oflice 3,609,763 Patented Oct. 5,, 1971 US. Cl. 2-3 R 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A safety helmet formed of a hard, outer shell shaped to cover the wearers head, including the sides and ear portions of the head, with the rear of the shell being cut away to form an inverted U-shaped opening exposing the rear of the wearers neck down from about the base of the skull, and a thick, soft, resiliently stretchable and compressible pad stretched across and covering the upper half of said opening and secured to the shell edge adjacent said opening to form a retainer for locking the helmet against movement relative to the head, as well as a neck guard.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION In the so-called full coverage safety helmet, the hard, outer shell of the helmet is shaped to cover the upper portions of the wearers head as well as to extend downwardly around and to cover the ear or side portions of the head. In such type helmets, it is necessary to cut away the rear of the shell from about the base of the skull downwardly in order to avoid the possibility of the lower, rear edge of the shell striking the wearers neck, should his head tilt back rapidly in the course of an accident.

Thus, in such type helmets, the rear of the neck, and particularly the most vulnerable portion of the neck, adjacent the base of the skull, has been unprotected. Moreover, such type helmets have a tendency to twist or move relative to the head under certain circumstances, and it is difficult to provide a suitable suspension to eliminate such tendency.

Examples of this type of helmet are illustrated in the US. Pats. to Marchello, 53,213,463, and Molitoris, #3,47 1,865. Each illustrates the high-cut or opening at the rear of the shell for preventing the above mentioned danger of the rear of the helmet striking the neck.

The invention herein relates to an improvement to such type helmets, comprising a combined retainer and neck guard for protecting the rear of the neck at the base of the skull, and also for gripping against and locking the wearers head firmly within the helmet to prevent relative movement therebetween.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The invention herein contemplates adding to a full coverage type helmet a thick, soft, resiliently stretchable and compressible pad stretched across and covering the upper half of the inverted U-shaped high-cut opening at the rear of the shell. The pad resiliently yields while the helmet is placed upon the wearers head, and then resiliently grips against the rear of the head, at the base of the skull and upper neck portions, conforming to the contours of the wearers head at that area, and exerting a uniform forwardly directed force upon the head.

Thus, the pad clamps or grips the wearers head between the forward liner portion of the helmet and the pad, additionally grips a wide lateral area at the base of the skull, and covers the rear of the head at the base of the skull, thus functioning as both a locking means or retainer and a neck protector or guard.

Preferably, the pad is made of a simple envelope-type construction formed of a folded, resiliently stretchable plastic sheet whose upper edges are sealed together and form an upper flange for securement within the shell, with a suitable resilient padding material, such as resilient foam plastic, contained within the envelope.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following de scription, of which the attached drawings form a part.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a cross sectional elevational view of a full coverage helmet showing the retainer and neck guard positioned therein.

FIG. 2 is a rear, elevational view of the helmet, showing the retainer and neck guard covering the rear highcut opening in the shell.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, cross-sectional, perspective view of the guard per se.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the rear, lower portion of the helmet shell with the guard secured therein.

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the guard per se.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION FIG. 1 illustrates a so-called full coverage type safety helmet 10 whose hard, outer shell 11 is shaped to cover the upper portions of the wearers head, as well as the side or ear portions of the head, with the rear of the shell being high-cut or cut away to form an inverted U-shaped rear opening 12 extending from about the base of the skull downwardly.

The lower edges of the shell are provided with the conventional rubber-like edge bead 13 and a conventional thick, energy absorbing liner is arranged within the shell.

In the helmet illustrated, the interior of the shell is additionally lined with an interior, elastically stretchable, cloth liner 15 formed in a tubular shape and folded inwardly of and against the energy absorbing liner. This construction is similar to that disclosed in my prior US. Pat. #3,465,363, issued Sept. 9, 1969.

A resilient crown pad 16 is fitted within the upper or crown portion of the helmet and covers the free edges of the cloth liner 15.

The ear portions of the shell are lined with suitable ear paddings 17, as for example the type shown in the above mentioned Marchello Pat. #3,213,463, of Oct. 26, 1965.

The invention herein relates to a retainer-neck guard or rear pad 20 which is roughly shaped like a semi-circle or segment of a circle to fit into and close off the approximately upper one-half of the U-shaped rear opening 12.

The guard or pad is preferably formed of an envelope 21 made of a resiliently stretchable, thin plastic sheet folded into two parallel walls, namely, a front wall 22 and a rear wall 23 whose cunved upper edge is heat-sealed along a line 24 spaced radially inwardly from the free edges to form an edge flange portion 25 having a number of radially outwardly extending slits 26, and a number of holes 27 (see FIG. 3). The sheet is preferably relatively smooth-surfaced for slipping easily over the wearers head; and also is soft, flexible, and resiliently stretchable. It may be formed of any suitable commercially available plastic sheet material.

The envelope 21 is stuffed or filled with a thick pad of a resilient material such as resilient foam plastic which is resiliently compressible and flexible.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pad is stretched across the upper portion of the U-shaped rear opening 12, and its flange 25 is fastened to the shell 11, adjacent the edges defining the opening :12, by means of rivets 29 or the like (see FIG. 4).

In use, the helmet is slipped over the wearers head, in the usual way, with the guard or pad resiliently yielding to permit receipt of the head Within the helmet. The guard or pad resiliently conforms to the contours of the rear area of the head, at the base of the skull, to grip a relatively large area thereof. Simultaneously, it exerts a forward directed force upon the head which tends to clamp the head against the forward portion of the helmet liner or suspension, in the case where a suspension is arranged within the helmet. Thus, the helmet is firmly positioned upon the head with the head gripped therein, and this reduces any tendency of the helmet to move relative to the head, either during rapid movement of the head or during impact or the like.

In addition, the guard protects the rear, upper neck and base of skull portionsof the head by acting as a cushion against impacts thereto.

Having fully described an operative embodiment of this invention, I now claim:

1. In a safety helmet formed of a full-coverage type hard outer shell having an inner lining means and shaped to cover the wearers head and including the sides and ear portions of the wearers head, with the rear of the shell being cut away to form an inverted U-shaped opening exposing the rear of the wearers neck downwardly from adjacent the base of his skull, the improvement comprising:

a thick, soft, resiliently stretchable and compressible pad shaped to fit into and being stretched across the approximately upper half of said shell rear opening, with the upper edge of said pad being secured to said shell adjacent to the edge defining said shell opening;

said pad being resiliently stretchable and compressible for yielding sufiiciently for receiving the wearers head within said helmet, and for closely conforming to the contours of and for gripping and resiliently pressing forwardly against the base of the wearers head for clamping the head between the pad and the forward portion of the helmet liner means to thereby hold the helmet against twisting and against movement relative to the head and for cushioning the wearers upper neck area against impacts.

2. A construction as defined in claim 1, and said pad comprising a roughly half-circle shaped envelope formed of a pair of thin sheets of relatively smooth, flexible, resiliently stretchable plastic material, joined together at their edges, with a thick, resilient padding material arranged between the sheets to fill the envelope.

3. A construction as defined in claim 2, and wherein the sheets are secured together a short distance radially inwardly of their circular edges to form free peripheral flange portions on their circular edges, and said flanges overlapping the helmet shell interior edge portions defining the upper portion of said opening and being secured thereto.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,314,077 4/1967 Marchello 2,--3R 3,323,134 6/1967 Swyers 2 3R 3,510,879 5/ 1970 Webb 2-3R JAMES R. BOLER, Primary Examiner 

